The present inventors reported the molecular cloning and characterisation of a major allergen from the venom of the Australian jumper ant Myrmecia pilosula. The results of this work was reported in Donovan et al. 1993 Biochemica et Biophysica Acta, 1171: 272-280. This major allergen was originally called Myr p I.
Since the report on this major allergen from Myrmecia pilosula, the present inventors have made the surprising discovery that several peptides derived from the Myr p I amino acid sequence, including a polypeptide called Pilosulin 1, have potent cytotoxic activity to a wide range of cells.